Duo Atlantico, voice & guitar
Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir, mezzo-soprano
Francisco Javier Jáuregui, guitar
Duo Atlantico, voice & guitar
Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir, mezzo-soprano
Francisco Javier Jáuregui, guitar
Photo by Antje Taiga
The duo formed by Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir and Spanish classical guitarist and composer Francisco Javier Jáuregui (also referred to as Duo Atlantico) is celebrating its 20th year anniversary in 2022 since its debut concert at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. The duo is known for its exceptionally strong connection with the audience, original repertoire, engaging performances, delicate sound, convincing storytelling and interesting introductions, which bring the audience deep into the world of the songs performed. Although their main emphasis, since their first concert in 2002, has been on Icelandic and Spanish repertoire, often rooted in folk music, they have also delved into music from other parts of the world, frequently performing Javier’s own original arrangements or transcriptions from other sources for voice and guitar. Guðrún and Javier have performed extensively across Europe in festivals and venues such as The Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, St. James’s Palace, Hopetoun House in Scotland, the Reykjavik Arts Festival, Harpa Auditorium and the Icelandic National Opera in Iceland, the Palau de la Música de Valencia, Clásicos en Verano in Madrid, the Auditorio Príncipe Felipe in Oviedo and the Glinka Hall of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Society in Russia.
Their interest in new music has led them to collaborate with composers such as Agustín Castilla-Ávila, Hugi Gudmundsson, Karl Nicklas Gustavsson, Marisa Manchado-Torres, Thóra Marteinsdóttir, Polina Medyulyanova, Alfonso Molina, Thorkell Sigurbjornsson, Haukur Tómasson, Eduardo Morales-Caso and David del Puerto.
The duo has previously recorded three full albums: Mine is Yours – Icelandic and Spanish songs (12 Tonar), English and Scottish Romantic Songs for voice and guitar (EMEC Discos) and Secretos Quiero Descubrir (Abu Records) which also features violinist Elena Jáuregui. Mine is Yours and Secretos Quiero Descubrir include a number of Jáuregui’s own arrangements and compositions. The duo also appears on the CDs Icelandic Folksongs & Other Favourites (Sena), Inspired by Harpa (12 Tónar), Come Creator (Smekkleysa) and Awake (Orpheus Classical).
Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir, mezzo-soprano
The Icelandic mezzo-soprano Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir has performed across Europe and in the USA, Latin America and Africa in such halls as Bozar’s Henry le Boeuf Hall in Brussels, Auditorio Nacional de Música and Teatro Real in Madrid, the Buenos Aires Coliseo, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society’s Glinka Hall and the Royal Festival Hall in London. She has performed with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra, the Community of Madrid Orchestra, the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London and Sonor Ensemble. She has sung in baroque, classical, bel canto and contemporary operas in Spain, the UK and Iceland. A member of Trio Aglaia, Guðrún forms Duo Atlantico with her husband, the classical guitarist Francisco Javier Jáuregui, with whom she performs, records extensively and directs the music festival Hafnarborg Songfest in Iceland. After finishing her vocal studies at the Reykjavík College of Music, Guðrún completed a Master of Music degree and the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. She is a recipient of the Joaquín Rodrigo Prize in Madrid, the Lied Prize in the Zamora International Singing Competition, the Miriam Licette Scholarship at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, third prize in Concorso Vocale Internazionale di Musica Sacra in Rome and the Kathleen Ferrier Song Prize at the Wigmore Hall in London. A versatile recitalist and an exponent of new music, she has offered world premières of works by a number of composers of different nationalities, who have composed their works especially for her. Guðrún created the title role in David del Puerto’s opera Lilith, luna negra and Ingibjörg in the opera Ragnheiður by Gunnar Thórdarson. Guðrún’s singing appears on sixteen CDs, published by Naxos, EMEC Discos, 12 tónar, Smekkleysa, Orpheus Classical and ABU Records.
Francisco Javier Jáuregui, classical guitarist
Born in Oxford, the Spanish classical guitarist Francisco Javier Jáuregui studied in Los Angeles and Madrid before finishing a Master of Music in Performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He has played many recitals both as a solo performer and with different chamber combinations in Europe, USA, Africa and Southeast Asia in venues such as the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Society Chamber (Glinka) Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, the Linbury Studio Theatre Royal Opera House, Covent Garden), St. James’s Palace (London), the Royal Palace of El Pardo and the National Auditorium in Madrid. He has performed Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with Orquesta Excelentia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Getafe and Schola Camerata as well as concertos by Vivaldi and Semioesferas by Delfín Colomé with Sonor Ensemble. A large part of the music that Francisco Javier performs is music that he has arranged, transcribed or composed himself, for ensembles of which he is a member of and Sonor Ensemble. He has premièred music by Agustín Castilla-Ávila, David del Puerto, Hugi Gudmundsson, Karl Nicklas Gustavsson, Marisa Manchado-Torres, Thóra Marteinsdóttir, Polina Medyulyanova, Alfonso Molina, Eduardo Morales-Caso, Thorkell Sigurbjörnsson, Hideyuki Takemoto, and Haukur Tómasson. Francisco Javier works regularly with mezzo-soprano Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir and since 1997 he has performed with violinist Elena Jáuregui as the Roncesvalles Duo. The three of them perform together as the Aglaia Trio. He was co-director and co-founder of FIMNa (the International Music Festival of Navarra) for 6 years and Sönghátíð í Hafnarborg Songfest from 2017. He released the CD Jardín bajo la luna with violinist Elena Jáuregui and appears on a number of other CDs such as Alban Beikircher’s Five Centuries of violin music (EMEC Discos). With Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir he has previously recorded three full CDs.